Where to find Crampball!?

[bushwacker bob]

like a black lump stuck on the side of an ash tree. follow Espys link and theres a picture.

 

[Chopper]

:yikes: :yikes: :yikes: In my tight underpants!!!!! :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

 

[jakunen]

Every morning I check every ash I pass on my way to the station. And haven't found one yet!
Seems like some areas may be better for them than others... :?:

 

[AntarcticFire]

Around the garden at home, I tend to find them on fallen Yew trees
at the moment... the first time I went looking I was actually suprised
just how many I found growing in quite a small area.

A small spark from the firesteel and away they went.... :chill:

 

[jakunen]

Ok, I'm starting to really feel down. I left home early and checked EVERY tree on my way to the station this morning - ash, sycamore, oak, hazel, rowan, alder, aspen, hornbeam, willow. NOT A DAMN THING!!! In fact I didn't find a single damn mushroom/fungus...

I'm beginning to think that my part of the world is just not suited to the rotten little black things...

I only want a couple! One for my tinder pouch and one for teaching plantlore!

 

[falling rain]

King Alfred's Cake
Daldinia concentrica

Up to 5cm across

Forms hard, knobbly balls on the bark of (dead and dying branches of deciduous trees, particularly on ash). Surface is usually shiny black and the fungus is brittle. Concentric rings revealed in cross-section. Widespread. Found all year.

You probably will have no luck looking on live healthy trees as some may be doing
There are loads where I live in Shotover Country Park all on dead Ash Trees :wave:

 

[jakunen]

I've been looking on the dead/dying trees. There are a number that 'kids' have vandalised, but still no joy.
Lichen - YES! Fungi - Nil point!

 

[Burnt Ash]

Ed, you might try 'cultivating' cramp balls and as most fungi have a synoptic relationship with their host trees

Some fungi have a mycorrhizal symbiotic relationship with plants. Most trees have an ectotrophic mycorrhizal association, often with a basidiomycete fungus.

A symbiosis is an intimate relationship between two organisms that confers mutual benefit(s) that outweigh (possible) disadvantage(s).

As far as I know, cramp balls (Daldinia concentrica) are merely specific consumers of dead or stricken ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior). I don't think there is any symbiotic relationship between the tree and the fungus.

I have only ever found cramp balls on fallen ash.

Burnt Ash

 

[Tantalus]

couple of nice pics here

never noticed them in scotland but maybe cos my eyes are on the ground looking for more edible ones??

Tant

 

[NickC]

Cramp Balls, King alfreds cakes(Daldinia concentric) can be found an any dead ash (Fraxinus excelsior) wood. The tree dosnt need to be dead and the branch can still be attached to a tree. The bad news is that in towns/cities we tend to remove dead wood to keep the place tidy & Health and safety issues! What you need is a big mature ash in a rural setting which hasn't seen any attention from tree surgeons.

Nick

 

[bushwacker bob]

Or Bushcrafters!

 

[SleepyWeasel]

I've not seen these around Mid Wales but have seen them in bits of North Wales, on dead and fallen Ash trees, when Dry these are great, they only need the merest spark to get them going. I kept some in the bottom of my tinder kit and they finaly disintegrated , but the powder and bits all go together into a tinder ball and it seems to work

 

[Rob]

They do seem to be very localised. I have spent a lot of time in ash woodland in Somerset, and found none. On the flip side, woods that I visit in West Sussex (one in particular that Wayne and Nomad have been to with me) are infested with them. Some of the older standing dead ash is almost black with them.

Keep looking and you will come across some in the end. :biggthump

 

[leon-1]

I managed to half fill a tube (the type that Ballvennie whiskey comes in) on one short outing down here in the west country ):

 

[Burnt Ash]

Hi all,

I heard the fungus crampball is good for use with sparks and smoulders for hours, am i right in thinking you can get this from alder trees? If not where!

TIP: As soon as you've gathered your crampballs, put them on top of a nice hot central heating radiator (or on the AGA) overnight. Not only does this really dry them out and improve their efficiency for firemaking purposes, it also kills the little boggerties that feed on crampballs. On several occasions in the past I've found my stored crampballs have been eaten and black dust just falls out of the empty shells.
Of course, even if you've done as I suggest, your cramp balls can be re-infested at a later date unless stored in a bug-proof container.

Burnt Ash

 

[jakunen]

Top tip mate!:biggthump

 

[Burt]

Brand new member & very new to bushcraft, think I found a load of Crampball fungus (Looks like horses hooves, dark grey, hard little tiny holes umderneath presumably where spores are released?). It was on silver birch both living and dead branches. Fenland peat woodland. I'll give it a go with some sparks and let you know!

 

[shinobi]

Brand new member & very new to bushcraft, think I found a load of Crampball fungus (Looks like horses hooves, dark grey, hard little tiny holes umderneath presumably where spores are released?). It was on silver birch both living and dead branches. Fenland peat woodland. I'll give it a go with some sparks and let you know!

Hiya Burt,

welcome to the group :wave: it sounds like Birch bracket fungus by your description. Otherwise known as Razor-strop fungus. Especially going by the location you found them in.
Cramp-balls or King Alfreds cakes look like this.

They both have their uses though, so well found.

cheers,

Martin

 

[bambodoggy]

Martin, do you know if Birch Bracket is edible?

Cheers,

Phil.

 

[jakunen]

Phil,

I've never come across anything, in any of my books or research to suggest that it is in any way edible. I would have thought not due to the tough structure.